Porthkerry, Barry

Barry has two distinct faces: the kiss-me-quick funfair side and Porthkerry - a tranquil 200 acres of woodland and meadows which lead down to a big pebble beach beneath the cliffs. They’ve got a purpose-built BBQ area, or you could find your own spot at the water’s edge.

Lots of sands, clifftop walks, big pebbles, rockpools for dabbling in – Dunraven Bay may just be the best picnic/BBQ spot on the south coast. As a bonus, the beach is right on the Wales Coast Path, and is just down the road from the Glamorgan Heritage Coast Centre in Dunraven Park, plus there’s a toilet block and snack bar on the beach!

Three Cliffs is Gower’s prettiest beach, but it’s a hefty walk carrying BBQ stuff. Neighbouring Oxwich is lovely in its own right, and has a car park, which makes life much easier. For the best experience, stock up on meat and fish at Swansea’s covered market, the largest in Wales.

If you like a bit of space in which to flex your BBQ muscle, then Cefn Sidan’s eight-mile sands should do the trick. It’s backed by Pembrey Country Park, which has its own picnic and barbecue areas, as well as a ski slope and family fun activities.

There are two Broad Havens in Pembrokeshire. The southern one, near Stackpole, is wildly pretty, but for sheer BBQ ease, we’re heading for the northern Broad Haven. St Brides Bay’s most popular beach is a fabulous stretch of sand with interesting rock pools, backed by a little village with a handy supermarket.

Its Welsh name means ‘Big Beach’, so there’s enough room for everyone here – and you can drive onto Newport Sands beach, which makes barbecuing a doddle. Top tip: the butcher and fishmonger back in Newport are both superb, so that’s raw ingredients sorted.

Tresaith, small, sheltered bay, is a family favourite for swimming and rockpooling. The prime picnic and BBQ spots are on the north side of the beach, where a waterfall tumbles down from the cliffs. There's also a chance you may spot a dolphin or seal swimming across the bay.

The sheltered cove of Porth Dafarch is quieter than nearby Trearddur Bay, and has excellent disabled facilities and a convenient slipway ramp onto the beach. There’s plenty of sand to spread out on, but it’s also got all sorts of interesting rocky nooks.

What we like about Kinmel Bay is that there’s bags of room for beach barbies, and the entertainment is thrown in by the local kitesurfing school. What could be more pleasurable than watching people learn how to kitesurf (which involves an amusing amount of falling over), while you’re eating a sausage? Very little, in our view.